An experimental investigation of the cross-flow of power law liquids past a bundle of cylinders and in a bed of stacked screens

The steady flow of paver-law polymer solutions normal to arrays of cylinder s and in a bed of screens has been investigated experimentally. Extensive p ressure drop measurements have been made for three different test cells (tw o tube bundles and one bed made of screens) of different voidages for a ser ies of inelastic carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium alginate aqueous soluti ons. The resulting values of friction factor correlate well with a modified definition of the Reynolds number based on the capillary bundle representa tion of the bed. The new data extend considerably the range of voidage valu es from similar to0.6 to similar to0.87. Extensive comparisons have also be en made between the present experimental data and our previous calculations based on the use of simple cell models. The close correspondence between t he two demonstrates the utility of such idealized analyses. All in all, the present results embrace the following ranges of physical and kinematic con ditions: Reynolds number: 0.01 to similar to 1200; power-law flow behaviour index: 0.38 to 1; and three values of voidage, namely, 0.74, 0.78 and 0.87 .